A wide variety of types of structures are known in the art for use in or as absorbent articles, particularly disposable absorbent articles, used to collect various body fluids and exudates. Commercial absorbent articles include diapers, adult incontinence products, sanitary napkins and bandages. Disposable products of this type generally comprise components for receiving, absorbing and retaining fluids. Typically, the components of such articles include a liquid permeable topsheet, an absorbent core and a liquid impermeable backsheet.
The components of typical absorbent articles are commonly plied or arranged in a horizontal fashion with a major planar surface facing the fluid intake area, e.g., the body of the wearer. In such absorbent articles, the nature or make-up of the fluid communicating therethrough can and typically will change as such fluid traverses though the horizontal ply or plies. Thus, such absorbent articles may experience undesirable horizontal dependency between components. Further, the fibers which customarily make-up the absorbent core are often orientated randomly with fibers within a mat in a lateral neighboring arrangement such that the fluid intake typically wicks in a radial fashion or pattern.
One of the main objectives in the development of absorbent articles is to increase, improve or maximize utilization of the absorbent capacity of the article. In general, products of the type described above typically distribute liquids deposited on the topsheet in a circular pattern. Since such structures generally have a length that exceeds their width, such liquid distribution may undesirably result in the fluids, e.g., exudates, reaching the longitudinal side edges of the absorbent article prior to the desirable utilization of the absorbent capacity at the end regions of the absorbent article. As will be appreciated, such occurrence may undesirably increase the possibility or likelihood of leakage from the sides of the article despite the availability of unutilized or underutilized absorbent capacity in the end regions of the absorbent article.
Moreover, such absorbent articles can and may be subjected to a wide range of conditions and applications such as due to factors inherent or related to the environment in which the article is utilized. Thus, the fluids and exudates which may need to be absorbed thereby may vary in properties or parameters such as including flow rate as well as form, phase or composition. For example, exudates may be multiphasic and heterogeneous, such as in the case of menses which may include red blood cells, mucin, plasma and tissue debris, for example.
Sanitary napkins (also referred to as catamenial pads), feminine pads, overnight pads, panty liners and panty shields are designed to be worn by a female to absorb menses and other body fluids discharged before, during and after a menstrual period. Sanitary napkins are external devices which are designed to be aligned approximate the pudendum region of a human body and are generally held in position by being adhesively or mechanically attached to an undergarment. Sanitary napkins also typically differ from panty liners and panty shields in several notable ways. Sanitary napkins are generally larger in size and have a more defined 3-dimensional configuration, are thicker in caliper and have a greater fluid capacity than panty liners or panty shields.
In view of the desire to provide increased comfort to the wearer and to minimize the appearance of the presence of such absorbent articles there is an ongoing demand and need for smaller or less bulky absorbent articles. Thus, there is a need and a demand for improved absorbent pad assemblies and absorbent articles such as may result in more complete utilization of the absorbent capacity thereof and such as may more effectively and efficiently respond to the possibly wide range of operating and performance conditions to which such assemblies and articles can be exposed.